Literary Terms

Question 1

Assonance

Answer 1

Is the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in a line of poetry

Question 2

Alliteration

Answer 2

Is the repetition of similar consonant sounds in a line a poetry

Question 3

Carpe Diem

Answer 3

Means “seize the day”- a very common literary motif in poetry

Question 4

Hyperbole

Answer 4

Is a bold overstatement, or the extravagant exaggeration of a fact or possibility

Question 5

Imagery

Answer 5

Is used to signify all the objects and qualities of sense perception referred to in a poem (5 senses)

Question 6

Metaphor

Answer 6

Is an unlike comparison of two things

Question 7

Onomatopoeia

Answer 7

A word or a combination of words whose sound seems to resemble closely the sound is denotes “hiss”, “buzz”, “rattle”

Question 8

Simile

Answer 8

A comparison of two things using the words “like” or “as”

Question 9

Sonnet

Answer 9

A lyric poem consisting of a single stanza of fourteen iambic pentameter lines linked by an intricate rhyme scheme
Two types:
- Italian
- English or Shakespearean

Question 10

Italian Sonnet

Answer 10

Is has two main parts- an octave (8 lines) with a rhyming ABBA ABBA
followed by a sestet (6 lines) rhyming CDE CDE or some variation

ABBA ABBA CDE CDE

Question 11

English or Shakespearean Sonnet

Answer 11

Contains three quatrains and ends with a conflicting couplet

ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Question 12

Symbol

Answer 12

Signifies something beyond itself (objects, words, etc)

Question 13

Personification

Answer 13

An inanimate object or an abstract concept is spoken of as though it were endowed with life or human attributes or feelings

Question 14

Blank Verse

Answer 14

Consists of lines of iambic pentameter which are unrhymed

Question 15

Free Verse

Answer 15

A poem with no rhythmic pattern or meter

Question 16

Kenning

Answer 16

A two word renaming of something

Question 17

Villanelle

Answer 17

A poem with 19 lines

Question 18

Epic

Answer 18

A long narrative poem that celebrates the deeds of a legendary or heroic figure

Question 19

Monologue

Answer 19

Any long speech or dramatic part spoken by a single person

Question 20

Dialogue

Answer 20

A conversation between two or more persons

Question 21

Aside

Answer 21

Lines spoken by a character revealing his thoughts to the audience or to another character, but which are inaudible to other characters on stage

Question 22

Soliloquy

Answer 22

A speech given by a single character revealing his/her thoughts to the audience when no body else is on stage

Question 23

Equivocation

Answer 23

Language intentionally used to confuse the listener: double talk, paradox, double meaning, and ambiguous language

• lesser than Macbeth, and greater
• for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth
• thou shalt get kings, though thou be none

Question 24

Paradox

Answer 24

A statement that is contradictory yet expresses a type of truth

• I lost the battle, but won the war
• even my failures were successes

Question 25

Tragic Flaw

Answer 25

The main character has a clear, decisive character flaw that brings about his downfall

Question 26

Reversal

Answer 26

A sudden change in the fortune of a character, for good or bad

Question 27

Tragic Hero

Answer 27

A person of high rank or status who suffers a complete reversal of fortune, for the worse, as a result of a tragic flaw

Question 28

Foil

Answer 28

A character that serves as a contrast to another. EXAMPLE: Macbeth vs. Duncan, Macbeth vs. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth vs. Banquo

Question 29

Comic Relief

Answer 29

A humorous scene or speech in a serious drama, which is meant to provide relief from emotional intensity and, by contrast, to heighten the seriousness of the story